This I Believe

I believe in god with a lower case g. In fact I so strongly believe in god, that this year I will leave the medical profession and search for the god that I know is present in all. In this search, I believe I will also find a better definition of the god I believe in, the one that I can experience through my senses and heart daily.

As a doctor, I have had the privilege to enter my patient’s lives and see them at their most vulnerable. It is during these episodes of vulnerability that I can also see their most intense fears. And as a healer, I believe that I must help them find the god that they possess, which will then allow them to conquer the fear that may be paralyzing them and discover the hope that will heal them. Thus, as I search for god in people, it is my desire to practice what I believe is the real art of healing.

I believe I will find god in the child’s laughter, the couple holding hands and the spouse mourning the passing of a life partner. I believe I can find god in the beauty of the newborn, but also in the extreme sadness of a parent mourning a dying child. I believe I can find god in the stars above, and the falling rain. I believe I can even find god in the worst of manmade catastrophes. Because, I believe in god. Deeply!

I also believe that somewhere in the ancient religious texts, a scribe made a mistake and accidentally left out an o in the translations and good simply became god. Thus, I believe as I am searching for the people’s god, I will find the good that I believe exists in all, and through our connection with all.

I believe there is no more urgent time than the present to search for the god (or good) in our brothers and sisters, in our friends and enemies and in our connection with all that is around. I believe that if we can find the courage to look deeply within ourselves, we will find the god (or good) that is always present. And I believe once you find that god you will feel compelled to share this good with all that is around you.

I believe you can choose to see god right now. If you don’t believe me, step in front of a mirror and take a look. I believe if you look long and hard enough, you will discover god staring back at you. Come on. Join the search and find the good (or god) that exists throughout your everyday life. It is wonderful. This I believe.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, lawyer Djenita Pasic enjoyed the peace of her religiously diverse country. But after the fall of communism and the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Pasic was forced to reevaluate her ideas about religion and tolerance. Click here to read her essay.